Cops: Man threatened to kill Martin Co. sheriff

A man accused of threatening to kill the Martin County sheriff is now sitting in the jail that Sheriff William Snyder oversees.

Investigators say 40-year-old Thomas Lazarro made a series of bazaar calls to the non-emergency line for Stuart police and the Martin County Sheriff's Office, threatening to kill Snyder.

The first call came in around April 9, according to arrest records.

Investigators say Lazarro was on the other line, making strange statements to Martin County dispatchers, saying "Hi, I'm from the Stuart Police Department, and I'm Marco Rubio's nephew and you're going to get fired and the sheriff's going to get killed."

Later in the month, multiple calls came in on the same day.

"I need Sheriff Snyder arrested, is his address public record?" Lazarro asked, according to investigators.

After multiple calls, and being told he would not get Snyder's address, he switched up his story, claiming to be a New York Times reporter.

"I'm doing a documentary on racism in Martin County. Unfortunately, I experienced this visiting your jail. I need my jail records to put in the New York Times," Lazarro said.

Detectives were able to track Lazarro's cellphone, finding he made the calls on the west coast of the state.

He started driving east, and deputies in Broward County tracked him down and had him baker acted. Once he was released, he was transferred to Martin County to face charges for the threats to kill Snyder.

"As an elected public official, who knows what gets in someone's mind, you know? He was mad at the system and I'm an easy target," Snyder said.

Snyder said he is grateful his deputies acted quickly, and not just for his safety.

"I think it was prudent on all of our parts to take it seriously, the last thing wanted was one of my deputies injured," Snyder said.